Sexually Violent Predator Program

*Correction: It was originally reported that Florida has a total of 8,000 registered sex offenders and predators. But, those only represent offenders that are still on probation and under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. FDLE reports that there are 63,000 total registered offenders and predators. The original numbers were taken from the bill's staff analysis.

Governor Rick Scott’s executive order distancing Florida from a set of nationally-adopted education standards has experts scrambling to figure out what it all means. As Lynn Hatter reports, while some are praising Scott for finally taking a stand on Common Core, others say his executive order amounts to politics, not policy.

Florida lawmakers held joint committee meetings this week to gather information on the state’s Sexually Violent Predator Program, which has been under fire for failing to stop predators from reoffending.

After a newspaper’s investigative series questioned the effectiveness of Florida’s Sexually Violent Predator Program, the Department of Children and Families commissioned an independent study to gauge its effectiveness. The results of that study were debated by lawmakers and policy experts during a joint Senate session Tuesday.

WFSU is Public Media, PBS, and NPR for Northern Florida and Southern Georgia